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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP you committed to pay for college. Your son is making his own choices. If he isn't super motivated it's all the more important he get that degree.[b] If the school thought he was unworthy they'd be kicking him out.[/b] Use a tough love approach and by that I mean the opposite: shower him with love and let him know how much you care about him and his future and keep the dialog open. Encourage or require him to start visiting his career center to start thinking ahead. [/quote]

As long as the checks clear, schools want the cash, and they have systematically lowered rigor and removed requirements (https://edsource.org/2017/cal-state-drops-intermediate-algebra-requirement-allows-other-math-courses/585595), so really, anyone who doesn't physically leave campus can plow through a BA. Most students I see "kicked out" were on financial aid and either stopped attending classes and/or completion percentages or grant/loan limits were exhausted.[/quote]

Your link just suggests that non-math/science majors can take statistic, computer science or finance course instead of intermediate algebra reqs. I think it's dumb for a school to instead that every student master a specific sphere of math and IMO statistics is a lot more useful than scraping by in a "pure math" class. It might have been motivated by the math serving as a barrier to graduation/success, but it also makes more sense  (I'm in STEM btw so nothing against math--just don't think pure math is the sole marker of rigor).  I don't buy your narrative.[/quote]

Look sweetie, the algebra diploma mills are removing from requisites is equivalent to 10th grade algebra 2. The entire motive isn’t more “practical” courses (that’s spin), it’s to keep physical morons enrolled and graduating. It’s a naked scam.[/quote]

:lol: my child's 7th grade Algebra 1 teacher told us that the middle schoolers performed 12% better on an assessment than his college students on the same topic.[/quote]

PP: The kids who take algebra in 7th grade are on an entirely different track and have a different background than the kids who are taking algebra 1 at community college.  I have colleagues making great salaries in competitive businesses who would score worse on math tests than  the elementary students I coach for math competitions.  The colleagues aren't predisposed to and interested in math and the 10 year olds are.  I personally don't think 4 year colleges should offer hs equivalent math courses other than calculus.  Anyone who has a math pre-req for a major who doesn't have the background but wants it should take it at community college.  They are wasting money and faculty resources at 4 year colleges otherwise.  That said, I'm perfectly fine with a 4 year college that allows students to fulfill a gen ed math distribution with statistics or computer science.  It IS more practical, I don't care if it's spin.

Personally, I would prefer making algebra 2 or test equivalent (e.g. a certain threshold score on Math SAT) a default admissions requirement for a BS or BA (not a BFA) at a 4 year college over making it a req after admitted-- because I think that would be way to re-direct people who would be better off with trade school/community college and work.  (I would also make a threshold for critical reading).  But if that doesn't happen--I'd rather not have a 4 year college offer courses in a math sequence below calc.  If that means some people graduate while passing statistics or a comp sci course and never learning algebra 2 so be it. [/quote]

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